Sub-gallon stacking system .123G PICO

[Wonderboy]

I found that there are several usb powered miniature water pumps on the internet and it squeezed my thoughts into reason of a similar ratio... put a mini-pump in a mini-sump for a mini-reef!

So my latest experiment is a very tiny pico reef aquarium; the system is constructed from found up-cycled material and attempted-budget-purchased equipment. I plan to play with it while I setup other more sustainable systems. The tedious DIY aspects of it are complete; its success will depend on equipment application/reliability from this point. The empty "display tank" can hold .123 gallons. The system is very nearly sealed using multiple containers and a mini pump for movement, no airline or stone. It has been cycling without heat or light for a few days now. My goal is to culture some type of really-small-polyp coral and micro-fauna. Obviously a few or more concerns: can the pump produce sufficient movement? Avoiding the inevitability of rapid temperature and PH fluctuations. Also, choosing the appropriate species of coral...

I had been taking checkpoint pictures and hand-recording processes and will share them with details here; for now, this is the setup at the moment:

 

[ndrwater]

I like it. Definitely an interesting experiment. Keep the updates coming

 

[Wonderboy]

Thank you

I'll start from the bottom I suppose.

The bottom section will be for equipment only. With some drilling, it fits a 10W Aqueon mini heater, THIS pump, and a modded float valve. This is the finished equipment compartment. This jar's outside dimensions depict an approximate .34 gallon volume including the glass.

 

[Wonderboy]

Moving on up:

The middle/refugium section is where water from the display will drain into. This jar is nearly identical to the sump jar; so, another .34 gallons on the total system volume. The bottom jar's lid is fixed to the bottom of the middle jar with silicone on the sides and also in the center holes.

Choice modified glass containers act as an overflow and adapters for water redirection. A cut and heat manipulated pop-top container sits in slits engraved in a mini glass jar extending off the bottom of the overflow hole - this moves water away from the pump's intake - the refugium section sits flat when removed from the system with this piece set aside.

The pump supply line from the sump is built to insert into the pass-through tube (API test tube) in the refugium section from the underside via a system formed from 1/4" line, a modified 3/8" quick-connect plug, a rubber washer and a diy neoprene foam gasket. Above the pass-through tube, I made a glass washer for the 1/4" supply line, sealed everything up with silicone, and topped it with identical transition materials used for the sump supply line in preparation to transfer the supply to the display.

I forced a hollowed clear cover of a tiny spray bottle with a snug O ring into the mouth of the overflow/bottle to raise the water level in the middle chamber and prevent siphoning through all the small parts' crevices. The bottle neck's cap holds this seal very well in place. (It is important not to let too much water drain to the lower sump in the event of power loss because the equipment cord hole is not 100% sealed and placed as high up as possible)

A cut pop-top container and a diy neoprene gasket fits over the bottle neck and is also held in place with the bottle's lid to restrict light going into the overflow. I drilled a UV proof container's plastic cap to fit over the bottle's cap to allow the UV proof container to be modified to dissuade algae from clogging stuff up; wrap the dissuader with nylon mesh ribbon, affix container lid, pop onto overflow (easily cleanable). To redirect the water overflowing from the display, I stole the lid from the goldfish food (added a little hole to vent air accumulation).

 

[Wonderboy]

After the complete system's construction, I had the system running with plain water to test for leaks before adding any debris - disassembled and altered 3 or 4 features to address 2 leaks. The next step for this section was large/medium/small particle sand mix and rock rubble towards the front of the fuge.

 

[chefjpaul]

Very clever

 

[NY_Caveman]

Very cool setup!

 

[Wonderboy]

Thanks!


Sump and fuge ready to go - the ability to stack and remove the chambers worked out quite well. I will have to make a video soon.

 

[Wonderboy]

So the display is THIS acrylic container made by Boxbox. I already had one from who knows where, but I cracked the bottom when tightening the 3/8" bulkhead that is supposed to hold it to the fuge lid. since then, cork has been implemented under the display around the bulkhead to support the pressure. The original Boxbox container that I had laying around fit so perfectly on top of the jars that it was one of the reasons I started the pico, though seemingly necessary, I really wasn't looking forward to settling for another container. My girlfriend took time to find new ones on the internet - almost drilled the brand off the bottom, too.

The overflow is a pop-top container upside down with a hole in the lid for the bulkhead. I melted slits + three deep ones all around the bottom of the container.

The supply line T's so that I can do water changes without opening things up. The upper-most valve allows air into the drain line for evacuating held-up water after use. The supply line spirals to hold on to a UV proof bottle that I will be using for a RO DI resevoir. The fuge lid also has plug access drilled for a temperature sensor (cord holes are fitted with rubber grommets and neoprene plugs).

The hardscape is removable if I pull the 1/4" bulkhead and supply nozzle out of the way - I thought this would be useful for maintenance. It was constructed using mounting epoxy.

The outside dimensions of this container depict a .123 gallon volume. That's a total available volume of a little over 3/4 of a gallon.

Time to put sand in and stack it on top. (FYI - that's 50 ml saltwater and cultured sand from a cycling bucket in the display)

 

[OffTopic]

Very neat idea! Looking forward to following along

 

[Wonderboy]

This is the setup with the RO DI reservoir in place - the res lid has a diy debris filter made from filter floss and pop-top lid for the pressure relief hole to keep stuff out and minimize evaporation. Quick connect for accessibility.

 

[Wonderboy]

@OffTopic Thank you


I kept track of the amount of water it took to fill the system. There is already 50 mL in the display - topping off through the float brought the system's actual volume to ~1250 mL.

 

[Wonderboy]

 

[Wonderboy]

Hoping THESE fans and the heater on THIS temp controller can cut it for temp stability.

 

[Wonderboy]

Size reference:

 

[Wonderboy]

Salinity 1.0248 using reef crystals. Waiting a while to test nitrites. Currently monitoring the temperature - running the pump and fans without any light or heater - the room temp around the system is 75 to 80F - the system has been staying at the same max temps, 78 to 80F. I will likely be lowering the room temp just a little in the near future.

If this hardscape doesn't work out, I can remove the hardscape altogether and go with a more open layout in the display.

Coral thoughts?

 

[Devaji]

supper cool!

 

[BigJohnny]

This is probably the coolest reef tank I've ever seen. Amazing creativity and craftsmanship! I hope you succeed!

 

[Geebs19]

That’s pretty neat!

 

[MSB123]

Awesome!